Obama's the real obstructionist

Saturday

Mar 9, 2013 at 12:01 AMMar 9, 2013 at 11:53 AM

As exhibited in the Tuesday op-ed column by Charles M. Blow, "Sequestration pain lies at feet of GOP," the apologists for President Barack Obama never cease to amaze in their conviction that he can do no wrong.

As exhibited in the Tuesday op-ed column by Charles M. Blow, “Sequestration pain lies at feet of GOP,” the apologists for President Barack Obama never cease to amaze in their conviction that he can do no wrong.

First, Blow castigates Congress for not being in session, though Obama ignored the issue for months and took to the campaign trail when it became clear he might not get his way. Obama purposely spread a message of disaster and despair instead of calm and competence, as any effective president would do.

We go from economic crisis to crisis in this country, due in large part to the fact that we have no budget. Without a budget blueprint, spending proposals cannot be judged as to their value in helping to meet our overall financial parameters. This is the only administration in the history of our country that has not been able to pass a budget.

Blow calls Republicans “intransigent” because they object to tax increases. However, they already agreed to a tax-rate increase in January of $1.2 trillion over 10 years. It's not intransigence when one already has agreed to something. Obama is just upping the ante again. After the election, he said he wanted $800 billion in revenue and was flexible on how it was obtained. Republicans proposed cuts in tax loopholes. Then he raised the bar to $1.6 trillion and said it had to be a raise in rates only; loopholes wouldn't do. He got his rate increase and now insists on the loopholes in addition? Just who is being intransigent?

Blow refers to the Bush deficits, which added $4 trillion in eight years while fighting two wars, and a simultaneous tax cut. Obama called this debt level unpatriotic, then proceeded to add $9 billion in just four years. Wouldn't that be unpatriotic on steroids?

No, if Blow wants to pin blame for the sequester, he needs to call Jack Lew, the new Treasury secretary, the originator of the idea, as reported by The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward and confirmed by the administration.

To those of us paying attention, it is Barack Obama and his administration who are being intransigent, by insisting on more taxation and more spending, and who continue to demonize “the rich,” knowing full well we could take all their money without making a dent in the debt. But they are an easy political target that gets cheers from constituents when Obama punishes them with more taxes. Even as he prepares to use the sequester to replace George W. Bush as a scapegoat for continued economic woes, we know Obama’s policies and reckless spending are to blame.

People are paying attention, making it easy to dismiss Blow’s arguments and blind support of an already-failed presidency. Hopefully, a Republican-controlled House will be able to prevent any further damage from Obama's policies, so there will be something left of this country when he finally leaves office.